


Canines

by Orange17



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: (No the dog is not Nicole), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Cute Dog, EFA Fic Challenge 2019, F/F, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 00:32:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17694173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orange17/pseuds/Orange17
Summary: In all her years volunteering at the local animal shelter, Waverly Earp never imagined they would have a cuddly, friendly, sweet black lab that would never find a home. But Purgatory's newest Deputy changes all that.





	Canines

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn’t expecting to toss an entry out into the EFA Fic Challenge but then, somehow, I had two ideas that I couldn’t decide between. Thank you to [Trash_PandaTO](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trash_PandaTO/) and my beta [@LuckyWantsToKnow](https://twitter.com/LuckyWantsTo) helping me pick one. Extra thanks to Lucky for always keeping my commas and tenses in check. 
> 
> If you want to see pics of my own canine, come find me on Twitter (because that is probably 95% of what I post): [@DubiousOrange17](https://twitter.com/DubiousOrange17). 
> 
> And, adopt don’t shop!

Waverly hummed, as her feet trod the familiar path from the kennels to the front desk. Her heart clenched as she saw most of the runs occupied, sad eyes following her as she made her way through.

She stopped outside the one at the end, closest to the front desk and visitor area. Though all the animals here managed to worm their way into her heart, she had a particular soft spot for this black lab.

The brown eyes of the nearly year-old pup widened and her tag wagged happily at Waverly. The gangly dog enthusiastically shifted, about to stumble to her feet when Waverly stopped her in her tracks.

“It’s okay, girl,” she cooed, as she lifted the latch to the run. “You stay there, I’ll come to you.”

The dog stilled at her voice, weight lowering but tail picking up speed as Waverly stepped inside the chain link fence. But the pup that the other volunteers had christened “Calamity Jane,” couldn’t seem to help herself as Waverly stepped closer.

The black lab stumbled as she tried to hop to her feet, nearly catching herself before she tumbled face first onto the concrete floor.

Before Calamity Jane could try to stand again, Waverly hurried to her side and dropped to her knees, her heart breaking as she ran her hands through the dog’s thick black fur.

“Aw, are you okay? I told you I was coming! One of these days you’ll learn, huh girl?”

Of all the animals here, Waverly could have never imagined they would have a cuddly, friendly, sweet black lab that would never find a home.

Her throat thickened remembering the day the vet brought the tiny black puppy to the shelter. The dog was the casualty of uninformed breeding by some locals, who first brought her to the vet after noticing she had more trouble moving than the rest of the pups in her litter.

Their concern for Calamity Jane vanished after the vet found cerebellar hypoplasia to be the cause; though the dog was cognitively fine, her shortened cerebellum would hinder her motor skills her entire life. When the owners asked the vet to euthanize her, knowing they couldn’t sell her, the vet brought her here, offering to pay for her care until she was adopted.

“We’ll find you a good home, sweet girl,” Waverly cooed, Jane leaning into the continued attention from Waverly’s hands. “Who wouldn’t want you?”

But tears clouded her vision as her brain replayed all the times Calamity Jane was passed over at adoption events. It never failed that a kid or two would fall in love with the clumsy pup, only to be veered by their parents to another, easier animal.

Sure, the care Calamity Jane needed wasn’t for everyone. When she was first brought to the shelter, she had to be bathed a couple times a day because every time she went to the bathroom her weak legs would give out and she’d fall into her own waste. But Waverly found it hard to believe that not a single family in Purgatory could offer the dog the attention she needed.

The bell rattled against the front door to the shelter, pulling Waverly back to the present. With a sigh, she reluctantly withdrew her hands, moving them to her thighs as she readied to stand. Calamity Jane whined in protest, nosing at her hands.

“I know, I’m sorry girl, but I’ll be back.”

But Calamity Jane was insistent, lifting a paw to bat at her knee, before losing her balance and tumbling to the floor once again.

Leaving the black lab on her side on the floor was too much for Waverly to bear, so she pushed up from her kneeling position and plucked the dog off the floor, returning her to her bed.

With one last rub between Calamity Jane’s ears, she smiled, “I’ll be back, don’t worry sweetie.”

Her smile faded as she turned on her heel, carefully exited the kennel, and clicked the latch back in place. She walked to the front of the shelter, wiping her hands absentmindedly on her jeans.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Waverly called, as she made her way through the open door to the backside of the counter, eyeing the back of a tall woman, her red hair pulled back in a braid.

The woman jumped before turning toward Waverly. Her brown eyes went wide in surprise, mouth slightly agape.

Waverly smiled, eyes drifting to take in the Sheriff’s Department uniform and the Stetson in this woman’s hands. The uniform hadn’t done much for her on any other deputy, but she couldn’t help but notice how well it fit this one.

Shaking her head, Waverly broke the silence, “How can I help you, Deputy…?”

The officer smiled, striding closer to the counter, “I’d prefer Nicole if you don’t mind, especially when I’m off duty.”

“Nice to meet you, Nicole,” Waverly smiled, taking Nicole’s offered hand. “You must be new in town…"

“I am and that’s why I’m here, I heard this is the best place to find a new friend in Purgatory,” Nicole replied, dimples popping.

Waverly faltered under the attention from the soft eyes across from her.

_Was Nicole flirting with her?_ she wondered. Or had Nicole somehow heard she was the nicest person in Purgatory? Or had someone else put her up to this?

“You know, a furry friend?”

“Right,” Waverly shook her head again, twisting for a clipboard and grabbing an adoption application. “All potential adopters have to fill these out first and then we can go back to the kennels and see if we can find you a friend.”

“Okay, thanks,” Nicole beamed, before leaning over the counter, eyes narrowing as she read the top line

\--

When Nicole finished, clicking the pen and handing over the clipboard, Waverly eyed the references first, not surprised to see the sheriff’s name listed at the top. Between that and the box checked to indicate that Nicole owned her home, the rest was almost irrelevant. Regardless, she lifted the page, noting that Nicole was interested in either a dog or a cat.

Waverly hummed, letting the paper fall back to the clipboard.

“This all checks out,” she turned and lifted the edge of the counter that flipped up, to allow Nicole back to the kennels. “Ready to meet the animals?”

Nicole nodded and slipped through before Waverly lowered the counter back into place. She led the deputy through the door, a chorus of barking meeting them as soon as they crossed the threshold.  

Nicole beamed at the excitement around them, her attention shifting to the wagging tails and bouncing animals. Waverly watched as Nicole scanned the room, taking in the dogs to the left and cats to the right, before eyeing each dog, one run at a time.

“Your application said you were open to a dog or a cat,” Waverly pointed out, raising her voice to heard over the noise, as Nicole’s eyes lingered on C.J.

Nicole tore her gaze from the black lab, almost reluctantly, “I am. I grew up with both. But…”

The redhead trailed off, hands fidgeting on her Stetson as she looked down the line of dog runs again before turning her back to them.

“But, you’re leaning toward a dog?” Waverly observed.

“I am, but my schedule really isn’t suited for one, so a cat it is.”

\--

Nicole spent the next twenty minutes getting to know the cats, seemingly most drawn to a black one with white patches and another gray speckled one.

“What do you think?” Waverly prompted, after double-checking the locks on the cats’ enclosures.

“They both seem great… I’m just not sure how I can pick one…” Nicole trailed off as they walked back toward the front.

“That’s okay, it’s a big decision. Do you want to sleep on it?”

Whatever Nicole was about to say was cut off by a heavy thud on the concrete floor followed by a soft whine.

Waverly turned quickly toward the sound to see Calamity Jane face-first on the floor a foot from her bed, long legs in every direction.

She heard Nicole gasp next to her, the officer stepping closer toward C.J.’s run by the door. The hand not occupied by her Stetson curled around the chain link fence.

“Calamity Jane,” Waverly scolded as she drew closer.

Nicole turned, face filled with concern, “Is she okay?”

“She is, she just likes to move too quickly for her own good,” Waverly sighed, stepping next to Nicole before addressing Calamity Jane. “Don’t you, girl?”

C.J. huffed in response, before the dog slipped and struggled to her feet, tail wagging happily at the attention. Waverly didn’t miss the way Nicole’s eyes lit up in a way they hadn’t with the cats.

“I think she wants to meet you, Nicole,” Waverly pointed out, hand moving to the latch.

The deputy nodded, eyes not leaving the pup.

“Wait there, girl, we’ll come to you,” Waverly instructed softly as she lifted the latch and waved Nicole in, relieved when the dog seemed to listen, her enthusiastically wagging tail the only movement.

But when Waverly secured the latch behind her, Calamity Jane couldn’t contain herself any longer. She jumped toward Nicole, feet sliding across the floor in her excitement to meet someone new. Her momentum carried her face-first toward the floor again but Nicole stepped forward, smoothly securing the pup in her arms before she could tumble over again.

“You’re an eager one, aren’t you?” Nicole teased, lifting C.J. until they were eye-to-eye.

“She certainly is,” Waverly nodded, lingering at the gate.

“That’s okay,” Nicole smiled at the pup. “When I see something I like, I don’t want to wait either.”

The deputy eased C.J. back toward the ground, placing her in her bed before kneeling beside it, her hands running through thick black fur.

Waverly warmed at the sight, C.J. shifting as close to Nicole as she could, eager for the attention.

“Do you think she will outgrow the clumsiness?” Nicole asked, gaze lifting to meet Waverly’s. “Or will Calamity always be fitting?”

Waverly’s chest tightened as it did every time she had to explain the pup’s limitations to someone clearly already enamored with her. C.J.’s enthusiasm, as she soaked up the attention by licking Nicole’s hands, didn’t help.

\--

“So how does this work?” Nicole asked, longingly looking at C.J. through the fence. The redhead bit her lip as she turned back toward Waverly, “I assume you’ll want to see my place first?”

Waverly was trying her best to keep her excitement over finding Calamity Jane such a great home in check, but it shone through in the bounce in her step and her hands twisting in front of her.

Nicole had been much more concerned about leaving the dog alone during her long shifts and the unpredictable nature of her schedule than the dog’s disability. Waverly was able to ease her worries with the promise of a list of a few of the shelter’s volunteers that she knew would be more than happy to let C.J. out or walk her.

“You can take her home today, if you want.”

Nicole’s eyes bulged in surprise, “Don’t you need to check my references, at least?”

“The sheriff hired you,” Waverly shrugged. “He trusts you to protect us, so I’m sure you can handle any of these animals. Plus, you listed his home phone number, not his office or his cell, so I know you really asked him.”

“Oh wow,” Nicole breathed, turning back to C.J.

Waverly contentedly watched the pair, before panic knocked her on her heels.

“Oh god. But you aren’t prepared to take her, are you? You don’t have food or a crate or anything! We have some food here you can take. And I can give you a leash. Oh! Or you can come get her tomorrow if that’s better. Or—”

Nicole reached out, with a gentle hand to arm, “It’s okay. No, I don’t have anything, but she can come with me to the pet store tonight and we’ll get everything. It will be a good bonding experience and she can pick out all her toys for herself.”

Nicole’s easy smile, along with the warmth that spread from her touch, calmed her.

“Are you sure? I mean, I’m a planner and I can’t imagine just…” she paused, swinging her arms nervously. “...jumping in like this.” 

“I got it, don’t worry Waverly. I meant it when I said I don’t like to wait. And I know you’ve been takin’ real good care of her, but I don’t want Calamity Jane to spend another night in a shelter.”

Waverly was taken aback by Nicole’s thoughtfulness but gathered herself as she turned toward the front again, clapping her hands together, “Alright! Let me just have you fill out the adoption paperwork and then she’s all yours!”

As Nicole signed the remaining form, Waverly’s mind raced. In spite of the brief time with the deputy, Waverly was captivated by Nicole, and she panicked as she tried to think of a way to continue to spend time in her company.

“That’s it?” Nicole asked as she signed the last line with flourish.

“Oh, um, well there is a _mandatory_ check-in...on the pet and you...at your residence...about a week after adoption...to see how you both are doing,” Waverly lied. “Did you want to set that up now or…?”

“Oh yeah, of course!”

They settled for a time next week, Waverly putting the date and time in her phone instead of the schedule behind the counter, before Nicole left, a wiggling C.J. in her arms.

“Bye Officer—uh, Nicole!” Waverly called after them with a wave.  

Realizing she hadn’t caught the deputy’s last name, she looked down at the completed forms in front of her.

“Officer Haught...of course.”

\--

Waverly adjusted the clipboard in her hand, filled with random forms she had hastily grabbed from the shelter, before tucking it under her arm. With a deep breath, she lifted her hand to rap on the door to Nicole’s house.

She fidgeted while she waited but forced herself to still as she heard paws slide to the other side of the entry, followed by soft footsteps.

“Sit, C.J.,” Nicole’s voice carried through the door. “Jane, sit...sit...okay, I’ll just pick you up.”

After a small bit of scuffling and a huff, the door opened.

“Hi Waverly,” Nicole smiled, C.J. squirming in the deputy’s arms, tag wagging enthusiastically.

“Hello Calamity Jane!” Waverly cooed, reaching a hand out to rub between her ears. “I’ve missed you.”  

“Do you want to come in?” Nicole asked, stepping back.

Waverly nodded and crossed the threshold. She pulled her eyes from Nicole and C.J. to take in the lower level of the home. She smiled at the dog bed tucked next to the tv stand with an overflowing bin of toys next to it. Even that didn’t seem to contain them all, as there were a few, including a freshly chewed tennis ball, spread across the middle of the room.

“How’s she adjusting so far?” Waverly asked, stepping further into the room, twisting to take it all in.

She barely heard Nicole’s answer about how Calamity Jane’s weak legs struggled with the hardwood floor, so she bought rugs and had ordered more, as her eyes scanned Nicole’s photos and bookcase, indulging her selfish desire to learn more about the deputy.  

Waverly was startled by a throat clearing next to her and was surprised to see C.J. bouncing eagerly at her feet. Her cheeks burned at being caught.

“Anything in particular you’d like to see, Waverly?” Nicole asked.

Waverly hastily scratched behind the dog’s ears and then turned, hoping to hide her embarrassment under the pretense of scanning the room again.

She shifted the clipboard in her hand, “This all looks good. I see her crate in the corner. Where are her bowls? And I’d like to see the yard too.”

Nicole led her into the kitchen, showing off clean food and water bowls, and then outside to the smaller but fenced in yard before they returned to the living room.

“How’s the crate training going?” Waverly asked, recalling a worry Nicole had revealed a week ago.

“Um, well, not well,” Nicole admitted, rubbing at the back of her neck. “She’s kinda been sleepin’ in bed with me.”

Waverly shook her head, pushing aside the image of Nicole and Calamity Jane snuggled together. With the movement, her eyes caught an object near the crate that she missed before in her initial scans of the room. At first she thought it was another toy, but she strode closer picking it off the floor.

“Nicole, what is this?” she asked sternly.

Nicole smiled guiltily, “A Dentastix.”

Waverly lifted an eyebrow. Nicole turned toward the closet, pulling out some items.

“I tried brushing her teeth,” Nicole continued, holding up a toothbrush and a tube of dog toothpaste in a placating way, “but she ate half of the toothpaste and I was covered in the other half.”

Waverly dropped her clipboard onto the closest end table and pushed up her sleeves, “Then I’ll show you.

Nicole looked down at her clothes before slowly looking up, “Can I change first? I kinda like this shirt.”

Waverly shook her head, stealing the items from Nicole’s hands, “You won’t get any on you. I promise.”

\--

Three YouTube videos and a dry demonstration from Waverly later, Nicole succeeded in brushing C.J.’s teeth without a mess...though the dog did still eat a bit of toothpaste.

“Thanks, Waverly,” Nicole called from the kitchen where she was rinsing out the brush.

Waverly leaned against the open door frame, “Happy to save the world from gingivitis and bad breath, one dog at a time.”

Turning off the faucet, Nicole looked longingly in her direction, brown eyes soft, before striding closer, “I owe you one. What would you say to dinner?”

Waverly felt warm under Nicole’s gaze and she automatically nodded, in spite of the guilty twist of her stomach. But it was worth it to see the wide grin spread across Nicole’s face before the deputy set the toothbrush aside to dig in a drawer.

“I haven’t been here long enough to know what’s good here but Nedley hooked me up with to-go menus for everywhere as a housewarming gift.”

Her stomach dropped, but she stepped forward placing a hand on Nicole’s forearm to stop her.

“Um, Nicole, you should know something first.”

Nicole turned, nodding questioningly.

“Um, I, um kinda made up the whole mandatory check-in after adoption thing...because I wanted to see you again.”

Nicole chuckled before turning her attention back to the menus, “I know.”

“Wha—how?” Waverly stammered.

Nicole straightened the stack in her hands, her eyes alight, “I had called the shelter a few days before I stopped in and asked about the standard protocol for adoption. They didn’t mention this and it wasn’t on the website either.”

Waverly froze, eyes bulging, “Fudge nuggets.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you did,” Nicole admitted, sincerely. “If you hadn’t...I’m not sure how I would’ve asked to see you again. So, dinner?”

\--

Waverly set aside her empty container of sweet and sour soup before wiping her lips with a napkin, “I didn’t ask. How’s it working, having Jamie and Ryan let C.J. out?”

“It’s been great so far,” Nicole stated, pausing to take a sip of her beer. “Thank you again for giving me their info. They love her and have been really flexible in coming over to take her for walks or just keeping her company. Ryan even came over before school the other day when my overnight shift went long.”

Waverly squirmed in her seat, both happy and a little disappointed to hear it was working out so well. She lifted her beer to her lips, hoping to hide her torn feelings.

When she lowered the bottle, she twisted it between her hands, “If you ever needed...someone else to check up on her, I’d be happy to help too. I mean, I work at Shorty’s so my schedule is probably ideal for it. If you have an overnight shift, I could check up on her after we close and I usually don’t start until noon at the earliest, so I could stop by before and—”

Nicole cut her off with a soft hand covering her own and a wide, dimpled smile.

“That would be great Waverly, thank you. I’m sure C.J. would love that too.”

The redhead withdrew her hand and pushed back from the table. Waverly turned to watch Nicole dig around in a desk drawer before returning, chuckling to herself.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, just living up to a stereotype,” Nicole grinned, before revealing a key. She held it out and Waverly stretched her hand out before Nicole stilled, cocking her head to the side. “On one condition?”

“And that is?”

Nicole licked her lips before offering another dazzling smile, “You use this to see me too and not just my dog.”

Waverly withdrew her hand, pretending to contemplate the offer, “Hmm, Deputy, I don’t know...I _really_ just came here to see Calamity Jane again…”

Nicole’s eyes narrowed, a _really_ look filling her face.

Waverly giggled, plucking the key from Nicole’s hand, “Oh, alright, you have a deal.”


End file.
